Back in September, we invited students from ages 4 to 18 to draw pictures or write stories for the annual Independent Mail Halloween Writing and Drawing Contest.

There were stacks and stacks of great artwork along with funny, spooky and even scary stories for our judges to enjoy.

We came up with first-, second, and third-place winners for our drawing contest and for the four age categories of our writing contest.

Here is the introduction we asked our story writers to use to start their stories:

Each Halloween night since Sophie could remember, she and her cousin Jacob turned Jacob's screened front porch into a haunted house for trick-or-treaters.

Like every Halloween, comical shrieks and the occasional mock cry for help came from the web-tangled maze of spooky pranks. Sophie and Jacob enjoyed frightening their costumed friends, pointing out who screamed the loudest and who didn't seem scared at all as they exited a pitch-black tunnel and tumbled through a hole in the screen and onto the lawn.

Unlike any other time, this year Sophie and Jacob didn't have the last laugh. Just before midnight, as they discussed shutting the haunted house down, they looked over, locked eyes, and gasped at someone — or was that something — that had just tumbled out onto the lawn. Neither could recall the costumed individual entering the haunted house.

The cousins had only thought they knew fear before that horrifying moment. But they hadn't a clue what true fear was until …

Note: Stories are printed in their submitted form.

1st place
Ages 6-8
By Micah Branton, 8, Iva
Sophie and Jacob had not known fear until now!

First, Sophie and Jacob went to their church. They went there because they were trick or treating there. Once they got there everyone ran out. The two didn't know what to do so they just went in to see what it was. Once they someone or something it said to come to the kitchen and meet. After they were there, they put there hands out to feel it. When they felt it they talked to it and it told them that it was a ghost.

Sophie and Jacob were scared and ran out of the church too! They went back to their lawn to see if it was a ghost. The two felt and felt once they felt it Sophie and Jacob asked if it was a ghost and said yes. Afterward, they called and told them to surround their house. Once they were there, a giant two thousand foot tall goblin showed up! The police tried to beat it, but they were no match so they called four thousand pest control specialist but they were no match!

Sophie and Jacob wanted to run. While they were running they called the whole military. The military were the right people for the job! They had ghost in town, so they called the ghostbusters! They got rid of all the ghost.

Next, the two went to their friend's house. When they walked in they saw a 10 foot tall pumpkin headed man. There were lots and lots of gnats flying around his head. They touched him and he felt like slime. Sophie and Jacob were thirsty so they went into the kitchen but instead they saw an evil witch stirring up a magic potion.

They went back to the tunnel. They went into it and when they were in they found there friend. Jacob asked their friend if he was tricking them. He said "no". There friend said Halloween monsters locked him in the tunnel when they weren't looking, ran away in superspeed, and then took over his house. He said that it was me making the sound to get their attention but it but it wasn't his fault. All the people in town were wondering what all the creepy stuff in town was about. They carefully walked through town watching out for giant slimy monsters and tricky little ghost. The thre went back to Jacob's house to find his mom but when they went in they saw a pumpkin headed man and of course the evil witch in the kitchen making a magic potion so they all went in the cave to get her out.

Last, they built a big arena for everyone to sleep in. When they finished they told everyone to go to the arena. The mom and three kids left the arena to take a walk. When they started to walk they saw something had never seen before. A vampire! He said My name is Dracula and I will suck your blood. Mom went into the arena and got a vampire gun. She got it and shot Dracula with it and he disappeared. They all agreed to make the arena Halloween monster proof. Everyone wanted to know what all the haunting and sucking blood was about.

When witches came, people ran as fast they because everyone was terrified.

Finally, they found out what it was. They thought it was because Sophie and Jacob were scaring people. The next Halloween they trick or treated and the Halloween monsters didn't come back.

2nd place
Ages 6-8
By Sarah Katherine Nixon, 6, Iva

But they hadn't a clue what true fear was until they saw a goblin! A goblin jumped out and Sophie and Jacob ran away from the goblin. They ran to their friends house. The goblin caught up and the goblin appeared in front of them. The goblin gave them ice crem. Sophie and Jacob were happy because he gave them ice crem.

The goblin brought them to his lair to look around and the goblin gave them popsickls. When they had a wonderful time they decided to name him Billy they would be friends forever!

3rd place
Ages 6-8
By Donny Kyle Barton III, 8, Anderson

Sophie and Jacob did not know terror until now! They saw something come out of the hounted porch tunnel!

Next, they followed what came out of the hounted porch tunnel. They tried to follow it but the bright stars distracted them. So they wore stuff on their heads. They entered a cave that was backbreaking to see because it was Halloween. They kept on running into lots of thick spiderwebs.

Then, when they got out of the cave they saw someone put glitter on the creacher. Then splat! The creacher was dead! Then the person accidentally put jumping glitter on a forest and the forest tried to jump into space!

Now, they tried to stop the forest but they couldn't. They tried throughing hard it but it was no use.

Finally, they tried everything but when they stopped someone put fat, long glitter on it and made it stop hopping into... Space! His name was Rocky. Rocky is there BFF. So when they found out it was him they hugged him and said "Thanks for everything Rocky"!

1st place
Ages 9-11
By Isaac Marchbanks, 11, Starr

...the creature looked them in the eyes and gave a horribly, terrible shriek!

"Ah, it's an angry clown!" screamed Jacob.

"No, it's a vampire," cried Sophie. "Just RUN!" yelled Sophie. They ran as fast as they could through the yard, but the creature jumped out of the shadows and started chasing them. Finally, they got inside and locked the door. That was close, gasped Sophie. "That thing was terrifying, it had fangs and a cape, just like I'd imagined it".

"Not it was obviously an angry clown," replied Jacob.

"Well, it looked like a vampire to me," said Sophie. "Wait a sec, your worst fear is angry clowns, and you saw an angry clown, but my worst fear is vampires, and I saw a vampire. This thing shows you whatever you are most afraid of!" Sophie said to herself.

"Wait a sec, how did you know my worst fear was angry clowns?" Jacob said.

"Ah, shut up, I know all kinds of stuff about you, like your in-love with that new girl, Taylor Fillmore, and just so you know she thinks you are a weirdo," said Sophie. Jacob gave her a mad but embarrassed look. "That thing just appeared in front of us like, it just teleported through the shadows," said Sophie..

"But if that's true, why didn't it teleport in here? I mean there're shadows in here," said Jacob, regretting it as soon as he said it because immediately they heard a creepy voice say, "I already did." Suddenly, a figure jumped out of the shadows!

"I'm surprised you haven't figured out that I feed on fear yet," it said in a voice that made you want to cry. " I mean, you figured all that other stuff out".

"Sophie, it feeds on fear. Just don't be afraid and it'll go away, because it won't have a reason to be here," said Jacob.

"I'll try," replied Sophie. "We're not afraid, so just go away you monster"!

"Ah, don't be that way, just let it go," creaked the beast. "Ah, it's too late now, the fear's gone. Bye".

"I got an idea," said Sophie. "We could make a deal with him. He could work for us, and he would get paid with all the fear he causes".

"We could be rich off of him, and he would get all the fear he desires," exclaimed Jacob. "Let's keep the show going one more night just to attract him, and then we'll start a new show that's scarier, thanks to the beast," rejoiced Jacob with a smile wider than a clown's, which kind of freaked Sophie out. They slowly went upstairs to bed. They were so tired, they fell asleep before their heads hit their pillows.

The next morning they got up and got breakfast. "Man I had the worst nightmare ever last night," groaned Jacob.

"Me too," replied Sophie. "There was this weird monster that looked like a vampire but it actually wasn't, and you thought it looked like an angry clown."

"I had the same dream," said Jacob.

"I don't think it was a dream," said Sophie.

"We have to get ready for tonight. We have to make it scarier than ever. It has to be mega scary," said Jacob in a voice that made him sound like the "Oxi-clean" guy from TV. "And I know just how to do it".

"It needs a scary name," said Sophie. "How about, The Shadow Walker".

"Ok, get in a straight line people. Jake, Abby, Simon, Ted, Mason, you all did a good job. Are we missing anybody?" Said Sophie looking around.

"You missed me," said a creaky, familiar voice.

"Everyone, run! We want to make a deal. You can work with us at our show and you can scare all the people you want," said Sophie.

But what about when it's not Halloween, what will I do?" said the shadow walker.

"Then you can be free, but the whole week of Halloween, you stay with us, deal?" said Jacob.

"Deal," said the shadow walker, and he disappeared. He kept his word and every year he came back on the week of Halloween to feast on fear.

2nd place
Ages 9-11
By Christian Sean Theva Balasingham, 11, Anderson

Each Halloween night since Sophie could remember, she and her cousin Jacob turned Jacob's screened front porch into a haunted house for trick-or-treaters.

Like every Halloween, comical shrieks and the occasional mock cry for help came from the web-tangled maze of spooky pranks. Sophie and Jacob enjoyed frightening their costumed friends, pointing out who screamed the loudest and who didn't seem scared at all as they exited a pitch-black tunnel and tumbled through a hole in the screen and onto the lawn.

Unlike any other time, this year Sophie and Jacob didn't have the last laugh. Just before midnight, as they discussed shutting the haunted house down, they looked over, locked eyes, and gasped as someone- or was that something – that had just tumbled out onto the lawn. Neither could recall the costumed individual entering the haunted house.

The cousins thought they knew fear before that horrifying moment. But they hadn't a clue what true fear was until they saw it, it was hideous It hadblond hair but not just on his head all over his body and blue eyese that could petrify medusa herself he kept mumbling something like "Where is that boy I'll kill him and his friend, if my name isn't John Svwartslestein he will pay for killing my bet friend bambii for killing my best friend bambii" Then he heard Sophie chuckle and say nice try fred but you're not gonna fool us we know you are german and you like bambii. and you love bambii

The beast saw Sophie and Jacob then he roared with rage there you are. Jacob squealed and Sophie said Jacob I don't think thats fred . One of the neighbors saw the beast and called 911 soon the men in blue finnaly arrived but they were too late they found Sophie'sSophie's corpse ripped in half and beaten to a pulp, hanging from a rope was the head of Sophie they sent out an apb on Jacob they found him but the people who search napb for Jacob and they found him shivering in the corner of a cave the people who edfor the beastnever found the beast itthat is until now.

It's 10/31/2015 the night Sophie died was a few years ago today and the night that Sophie died Jacob swore vengeance he would avenge Sophie and he became a navy seal, marine, an expert in hand to hand combat, he was black belts in kung fu and karate he was also ripped he could lift a SUV with his thumb he was also a master gunsman and a legend. That's why the beast came after him he knew he'd woud'nt stand a chance against him if jacob kept training but what he did'nt know was that he never stood a chance he was walking right into jacob's trap. The next night jacob heard a rusling noise outside he got out of bed and he heard a snap! and then a creeek "Mom" jacob said.

He looked outside his mom was laying in the yard neck snapped all the way backwards "MOM! jacob cried.

He spun around there he was in the flesh John Svwartslestien, Jacob looked at the beast then his bayonet the beast must have been thinking the same thing, because they leaped across the room at the exact same time and colided Jacob got the knife and tried to stab the beast but the beast grabbed him and slammed him on his knee jacob felt like he just got hit by a pickup truck, but he got up and yelled "for Sophie" and stabbed the beast in the chest and ripped out his heart and said "thats for my Mom." and then he cut off his head and said "that's for Sophie."​

3rd place
Ages 9-11
By Cheyenne Hedrick, 11, Iva

Music whirled around me. I danced to the sounds booming out of the radio. Halloween was coming, and I was so excited because I was sixteen now and could finally go to the parties that I've missed out on all these years! My parents never seemed to understand how important this was to me. This year, though, I finally realized why they wouldn't let me go. I discovered the reasons they kept me away, and who I truly was.

That morning, I went down stairs to ask my dad about the party. He was examining some stinky mold. My parents were always busy studying and testing mold. Finally, I got up the courage to ask. I told him the time, location, and date. When I said Halloween night, he began to freak out. I studied him carefully. He said it was too dangerous. "What could be so dangerous about a party?" I thought. Instead of arguing, I decided to head to school. As I walked, I saw a black cat. Oh great, bad luck! I was probably going to embarrass myself in front of Stacey, the most popular person in school. She will say, "Oh Skylar, you're so clumsy. Next time try harder." Then, she will laugh herself away.

All of a sudden, a gust of wind flew past me and almost pushed me down. Then, ghouls and goblins appeared, followed by witches and headless clowns. Their leader looked like a woman wearing a long bright red dress. Her eyes made me shiver. She pushed toward me, and I ran toward my house. The problem was the house was three blocks away. I tripped and fell. The monsters grew closer and closer.

All of a sudden, a blue light formed a bubble over me and caused the monsters to leave in horror. When I looked up, my mom and dad were standing there holding guns that shot the blue light. I asked them what happened. They said they would explain later and pushed me into the car.

When we were home, they explained that they were monster hunters, and my greatest enemy had escaped along with her followers. I stayed home from school that day and practiced hunting with different obstacle courses. My parents gave me some weapons and continued to train me. They said Halloween was the biggest night monsters were out scaring people and haunting parties and houses. I was to have the biggest challenge of my life and no one could help me. My friends continued the journey with me; training and preparing me for that day. I was to defeat the evil ruler and vanquish every other ghost or ghoul. My parents took me to an old building behind a cemetery. It was their old lab that they built after they were married. They stored their plan of defeating that evil woman there. They told me her name, Katrina, and I was immediately scared. The name repeated in my head, "Katrina, Katrina, Katrina." My parents showed me the lab and all of their weapons. I was going into this fight and nothing could stop me.

On Halloween night, my parents took me to an old farmhouse out of town. They dropped me off and waited in the car. I immediately knew the place. My grandpa's old house had tall, white, blue shudders, and a terraces leading to the roof. I walked to the terrace and looked at the sunset. "Will I die?" I asked myself. All of a sudden, I began to shiver and a hand touch my shoulder. It was her! I turned around thinking through the plan. Step one, lead her to the edge of the terrace. I ran behind her and pushed her forward. She turned around and her face was like a fireball. Suddenly, she flew up and spit fire at me. I fought it off with a freeze ray gun. Then, a red ball flew toward me and burned my calf. I limped over to the railing to drink a healing potion. Step two, use the plant gun to hold her down with vines. I drew out the gun and shot. It held her down until she burned the vines and pulled away. She got behind me. Wind whispered in my ear. A quick thought came to my mind. Fear. She grew stronger as my fear grew. I can't be afraid. I stepped forward and pulled out the ice gun. I froze her hands then her feet. She sat still as I moved her to the edge of the terrace. She looked startled as I pushed her off. She turned to dust when she hit the ground, leaving nothing but her bright red dress.

I was so relieved that she was gone. If you ever have a fear, overcome it! Even if it's not on Halloween! I know who I am now. I can't deny the sensation in my heart every Halloween as I go and save people. Monster hunting is what I was made to do!

1st place
Ages 12-14
By Madison Nations, 14, Pendleton

Each Halloween night since Sophie could remember, she and her cousin Jacob turned Jacob's screened front porch into a haunted house for trick-or-treaters. Like every Halloween, comical shreiks and the occasional mock cry for help came from the web-tangled maze of spooky pranks. Sophie and Jacob enjoyed frightening their costumed friends, pointing out who screamed the loudest and who didn't seem scared at all as they exited a pitch black tunnel and tumbled through a hole in at he screen onto the lawn. Unlike any other time, this year Sophie and Jacob didn't get the last laugh. Just before midnight, as thye discussed shutting the haunted house down, they looked over, locked eyes, and gasped at someone -or was it something- that had just tumbled onto the lawn. Neither could recall the costume clad figure entering the haunted house. The cousins had only thought they knew fear before that petrifying moment. But they hadn't a clue what true fear was until, the creature bounded up with such intensity, Sophie and Jacob screamed louder than anyone exiting the darkness of the tunnel. The ear splitting scream seemed to silence the world.

The.. Thing... was black with long fangs reflecting the light of the porch. The light only revealed a low bulky frame staggering limply across the lawn towards out neighbors' backyard.

The wind stopped, and all limbs stood still and the few leaves left ceased to rustle. Sophie and Jacob look to each other. Their eyes spin with fear and the monsters' sulk is still present in their minds. Jacob looks to Sophie and says, "Am I crazy, or did that really just happen?" Sophie replies shakily, the fear is still present in her voice, "I don't want to believe it, but I think it did." They rush into the haunted house and everyone is murmuring worried words and rumors of what it was start to spread. Everyone seems shaken up by the traumatic experience. Jacob says, " Everyone we have decided to close the haunted house, please evacuate." Everyone leaves without hesitation or question.

Jacob and Sophie make their way to their neighbors' backyard quietly. The only sound heard is the crunching of the lifeless leaves below their feet. That silence is interrupted by an ear-splitting scream. The scream comes from the darkest corner of the lawn. From the darkness emerges a lady with a limp in her step gasping for air. A gruesome scar lines her cheekbone. Her face is crooked and limp from years of fighting. She has a raspy voice that crackles every syllable. She rumbles, "You both made a horrible mistake. Leave things be, don't mess in business that is not yours. The creature you saw never forgets who lays eyes on him." She staggers away as fast as her limp legs allow. Sophie and Jacob run back home. Once they enter the doorway, they hear a cry of desperation from the backyard. They rush out and find a lifeless lump in the far corner of their yard. They turn on the back light and discover something very unexpected, very....familiar.

The lifeless lumps' chest rises with desperation. The lump is covered in a black fabric and Jacob and Sophie realize at once it's the same staggering, limp figure that fell into the their backyard. Jacob warily makes his way over and uncovers the figure in what seems to be his old Star Wars shirt that was hanging out to dry earlier today. The figure underneath looks at Jacob with a stare of desperation and innocence. It ws a young pitch-black German Shepard that seemed to be hit by a car. It tires to get up but it falls. Sophie rushes over and picks the young dog up in her arms. A whimper escapes its lips and Sophie calls the emergency vet down the street. They take "Boo" in and his broken leg is expected to heal in a little while. Sophie looks to Jacob and says, "I guess the creepy lady didn't know what she was talking about after all!" Jacob replies with honesty in his voice, "What lady?" Sophie then sees a flash of black out of the corner of her eye. Jacob looks to her and says, "Maybe this mystery isn't over yet." Jacob and Sophie realize something that night, things aren't always what they seem.

2nd place
Ages 12-14
By Katelyn Moore, 12, Anderson

Each Halloween night since Sophie could remember, she and her cousin Jacob turned Jacob's screened front porch into a haunted house for trick-or-treaters.

Like every Halloween, comical shrieks and the occasional mock cry for help came from the web-tangled maze of spooky pranks. Sophie and Jacob enjoyed frightening their costumed friends, pointing out who screamed the loudest and who didn't seem scared at all as they exited a pitch-black tunnel and tumbled through a hole in the screen and onto the lawn.

Unlike any other time, this year Sophie and Jacob didn't have the last laugh. Just before midnight, as they discussed shutting the haunted house down, they looked over, locked eyes, and gasped as someone- or was that something – that had just tumbled out onto the lawn. Neither could recall the costumed individual entering the haunted house.

The cousins thought they knew fear before that horrifying moment. But they hadn't a clue what true fear was until…

Sophie and Jacob held their breath until the figure stood. It was wearing a long black cloak that draped over hidden shoulders. There was an unnatural chill in the air as the figure turned around in one fluid motion to stare at Sophie and Jacob. Sophie leaned closer to Jacob, and Jacob wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Sophie couldn't tear her eyes away from the cloaked stranger, but Jacob was able to glance up and look out to see their friends leaving the yard to continue on their journey for sweets.

"Hello children," a clear feminine voice spoke. Sophie frowned slightly. The voice didn't match the slumped over posture and the boney fingers that peered out of the long bulky cloak.

Jacob pulled Sophie closer. Jacob was older than Sophie and he felt he had a responsibility to protect his younger cousin. He knew predators could come out on Halloween. Of course he and Sophie didn't believe in ghosts and other cliché monstrosities that were supposed to haunt children on Halloween nights.

"Yeah, yeah. The haunted house is closed, miss." Jacob inclined his head toward the haunted house in front of them on the porch. The figure ignored what he said and started slinking toward Sophie and Jacob.

"Sophie… Sophie…" The figure whispered in a raspy voice. Sophie was so bothered by the voice that she reached up to put her hand around her throat like it hurt. The cloaked predator continued slowly getting closer to the frightened children. The thing reached the steps to the porch, and Jacob pushed Sophie into the maze through the emergency exit.

Sophie fell into the haunted house, and her heart was pounding so hard she had to press both of her hands to her chest incase the manically pounding heart decided to pound its way out. She scrambled around until she could remember which way she had to go. The haunted house was eerie on its own, but she had heard Jacob smashing something onto the creepy figure and now it was silent. She felt something pursuing her, but each time she turned around she only saw the creepy faces of bloody masks, and porcelain dolls.

She knew she had reached the middle of the haunted house when she entered a room full of white pillow cases. The room also held a few strobe lights. This room was big enough that she didn't have to crawl anymore. She had been through the house before, but this time it was different. It was dangerous.

Sophie stood, and brushed off dirt from her costume. Sophie looked around the room. It was filled with the pillow cases, faux blood splatters, and dummies in the pillow cases. She knew they were just dummies, but when she brushed up against them it was disturbing to feel the arms and legs. They seemed so real. Sophie had passed the seventh pillow case when she brushed up against the eighth. That's when time stood still. Something started thrashing in the blood smeared pillow case.

An earsplitting scream pierced the tense air around her. At first she didn't know where the sound came from until her throat was rough and scratchy and her lungs ached for air. Sophie's face was slick with sweat and her knees were smeared with blood from crawling so much. When she had to stop screaming the room filled with black smoke. Sophie started running. She ran all the way to the other side of the room, but stopped. She stood still, facing the black cardboard wall.

Sophie… Sssophie…

Cold fingers traced along her arms, then curled around her neck. Her breath caught in the back of her throat like choking on a paper ball. Wherever the thin, boney fingers touched Sophie, a searing sound would slowly seep around her. The fingers moved down and took a hold of her. Sophie had tilted her head down so she could see the black marks on her skin that surrounded the fingers. All of a sudden the thing turned Sophie around so she was staring into the lifeless eyes.

The face was bone and muscle.

"Hello dear" The thing said. It smiled wickedly.

Everything went completely dark.

3rd place

Ages 12-14

By Haley Ciara Williams, 13, Anderson

Like every Halloween, comical shrieks and the occasional mock cry for help came from the web-tangled maze of spooky pranks. Sophie and Jacob enjoyed frightening their costumed friends, pointing out who screamed the loudest and who didn't seem scared at all as they exited a pitch-black tunnel and tumbled through a hole in the screen and onto the lawn.

Unlike any other time, this year Sophie and Jacob didn't have the last laugh. Just before midnight, as they discussed shutting the haunted house down, they looked over, locked eyes, and gasped at someone — or was that something — that had just tumbled out onto the lawn. Neither could recall the costumed individual entering the haunted house.

The cousins had only thought they knew fear before that horrifying moment. But they hadn't a clue what true fear was until it looke up then three more birds came up from behind. Sophie and Jacob saw the four big birds turned into human girls. The girls started to sing, which was the most beautiful song in the world. They sang like silk was comind out of their mouth.

"Go to sleep my little ones tomorrow will be a good one so go to sleep my little one."

Sophie and Jacob both woke up at the same time. They looked up and wondered where they were? How did they get there? And why are they here? The four girls, which Sophie and Jacob had seen before, started walking up to them. Their hair was so silky and put in the perfect spot, there makeup were like a goddess would have, and there body's like a swimmer that swims twenty four-seven. The girl in the middle started to talk.

"Hello, my name is Thelxiepeia and what you saw last night was something you can't say to anyone or you will die, do you promise?" Sophie and Jacob said yes as quick as possible.

"Well we are sirens. We have been alive over 2000 years." Sophie had always had to ask the questions, "How did you turn into sirens?"

"You will learn soon enough."

The next day Jacob went to school and he told all he's friends about the sirens but he forgot about him dying if he told anyone about meeting up with the sirens. Peisionee the other siren met him after school and ripped his heart out of his body, blood splashed everywhere. Persionee had always loved a young heart but, she didn't like killing them. Sophie was walking down the long dirt road and found her cousin Jacob dead, blood everywhere, so she ran home crying. All four sirens were there but, they were too late warned and told her she was next.

Sophie started to run, but she forgot about the wings, nails, feathers, beaks, and siren powers. So she ran into the ocean because she didn't think that they could go under water, but she was wrong. They turned human and tore off their shorts and jumped in after her. She saw something sparkling under the water then she knew what they were and how she was going to die, but she didn't. When they got her she refused to drink out of the flask so they had to sing t oher because she thought it was something that would kill her.

"Oh little Sophie don't be so stubborn drink out of the flask and you will be one of us."

Sophie tuck three big swallows and passed out she woke up with a gold fishing net wrapped around here, and she was also on the shore of the ocean that she drank the flask at.

One hundred twenty-five years later, she turned 135 years old in a twelve year old body. Next time a siren dies they will be hunting and they could go after you. so, happy Halloween if you can survive by then.

1st place
Ages 15-18
By Cortney Hall, 15, Anderson

Two Hybrid looking things the height of a telephone pole stomped into the front yard. Under the pale moonlight of the Halloween moon that was high in the sky they could see that the two figures were products of a weird type of T-Rex breeding with a hedgehog. Normally these monsters only grew to be six-feet tall. There was an old legend about these creatures but Jacob and Sophie never truly paid attention when the legend was being told. Both of them thought that it was just a story made up to scare little kids out of their minds.

This proved to be one of the biggest mistakes of their lives. They saw large pointed teeth and bright shimmering eyes on the Rexhogs. Both monsters raised their heads up to the pale Halloween moon and let out loud terrible howls. The Rexhogs then lowered their heads and charged with an alarming speed towards Jacob's house. They were destroying the haunted house setup that the two tweens had built.

Once the haunted house had been demolished, the Rexhogs started charging towards Jacob and Sophie at full speed. Sophie and Jacob ran out of the back of the house and into the forest that led into Jacob's backyard. Once they heard a loud sickening crash they knew that Jacob's home had been destroyed. Then they heard another loud deafening howl from the Rexhogs. The two friends ran and ran until they thought that they had lost the two monsters.

Eventually they stopped to catch their breath. Sophie turned to Jacob and said in a frightened tone, "Were those things real?" Jacob turned to her and said in a shaken tone, "No, I believe that it was someone or our friends pulling a trick on us." Sophie replied, "I do not think that our friends or somebody could pull off a scare this big. Did you see how fast those things were moving?"

"One possible option is that our friends suddenly learned to run fast on long stilts holding a battering ram on the top of their heads." Jacob replied. Jacob and Sophie heard a roar that was much closer and both of them ran like a bolt of lightning until they came to a huge abandoned house. The two of them ran up the stairs and into a room that had what appeared to be a large open closet that was reinforced with two feet of solid concrete. Unluckily for them they did not realize that the house was truly haunted by the ghost of a mad scientist named Dr. Scary Monster. The pair ran inside and shut the door fast and caught their breath.

Sophie asked Jacob "Where do you think we are?" Jacob replied, "As long as it is very far away from those Rexhogs I do not care." When the children turned to look at the room they realized that they were in a laboratory, not a closet. Jacob and Sophie decided to look around the strange lab for anything that could help them defeat the two Rexhogs, or protect them from the two monstrosities. The ghost of Doctor Scary Monster saw them run into her house and into her lab.

Doctor Scary Monster decided to have some fun by scaring them out of their minds. Meanwhile, in the lab Sophie had found a box full of armor and helmets. Jacob and Sophie decided to put the armor on. When they turned around, there was a ghostly blob floating right behind them. They each used their high tech armor to escape. They jumped out of a window and used the armor's installed jet packs to fly away.

The Rexhogs followed in hot pursuit but they disappeared like ghosts when the sun started to rise. The two children blacked out. When they awoke they found themselves on what remained of Jacob's front porch. They were still wearing the armor. They hugged each other and cried tears of joy for surviving. They did not see the four glowing red eyes staring at them from the dark, dense forest.

The End, for now. Or is it?

2nd place
Ages 15-18
By Shawn Fruster, 16, Pendleton

The lights went out. Jacob and Sophie started shaking and their hearts were pounding. But within a few seconds Jacob remembered that his best friend Collin was supposed to show up and said to his cousin "Ha ha! I think that was Collin! He was supposed to be here about 9:30 or so.", but Sophie said "Wait, it's 20 minutes till midnight. Why would he show up so late?" Jacob replied "Well…." By the time he started to speak, the lights came back on.

After the lights came back on, they both decided to grab flashlights and go outside to see if it was really Collin or some prankster. When they got outside, they saw nothing out of the ordinary. The looked around for 3 minutes, and found no one or nothing. When they got back towards the front of the house, thats when all things extremely creepy began. They saw their haunted house missing, and by missing, it was no longer there, almost like someone cleaned it all up. Then they saw something black on the sidewalk that leads to the front door. Upon further examination, it was a pool of blood. Jacob said "What in the world is going on? How did our haunted house get cleaned up in 3 minutes, and where did all of this, what I hope is fake blood come from?" Sophie said "I don't know? Should we…" Jacob asked "Should we what?" Jacob turned around and saw that Sophie was no longer there. He started telling Sophie that this isn't funny and that she should come out of hiding. She never showed up. He was alone. This time all of the lights in the neighborhood went out. He was alone and scared.

After walking down the street, he saw a tall blue figure with a white outline in the distance. Slowly, he walked closer towards the figure, and he started to hear a faint, but ever growing sound that sounded like someone was saying "Ich bin ugroßvater. Komm zu mir mein kind." Jacob didn't understand what the figure said. The figure said again, but in english "I am your great-grandfather. Come to me my child." Jacob stopped dead in his tracks in shock wondering why did his great-grandfather who he never met comeback. Standing there in shock and fear, Jacob began to walk backwards slowly. After a few steps, he turned around and ran, but only to trip on a black cat crossing his path. This made the blue figure change red. The figure moved closer and said in a deep voice "How dare you try to run away from me! There's no point in running away from me! I am the Sword Assassin!" Jacob got up as quick as he could and started to run, but the assassin started to throw the swords. The swords struck cars and lawns, but only missed Jacob by a few inches. Then only a few feet away he saw his best-friend Collin and his cousin Sophie standing there. He started screaming their names, but they didn't move. Jacob stopped almost immediately and forgot about the assassin. Staring at them, Jacob called them again, and in a blink of an eye, they were in front of him with black eyes, black liquid coming out of their mouths, stitches all around their faces, and screaming in a really high pitched tone. Right then, glass shattered and Jacob fell down on the ground, dizzy and about to black-out. Standing right above him was Sophie, Collin, and the assassin. The assassin said "Gute nacht du biest!" and put a sword in him.

Instantly, Jacob woke up in his bed, 100% together without a wound on his body. He quickly got up and went to Sophie's room to see if she was there. When he got there, she was just waking up herself and said "Good morning! Wasn't the haunted house last night great?" Jacob said "What?" He quickly explained what he meant by that. After telling Sophie the story, she laughed and said "Well I guess all of that candy didn't help you sleep." With Jacob upset, Sophie thought to herself, "I hope you are enjoying your deep sleep."

3rd place
Ages 15-18
By Katelin Hanna, 15, Anderson

Each Halloween night since Sophie could remember, she and her cousin Jacob turned Jacob's screened front porch into a haunted house for trick-or-treaters. Like every Halloween, comical shrieks and the occasional mock cry for help came from the web-tangled maze of spooky pranks. Sophie and Jacob enjoyed frightening their costumed friends, pointing out who screamed the loudest and who didn't seem scared at all as they exited a pitch-black tunnel and tumbled through a hole in the screen and onto the lawn. Unlike any other time, this year Sophie and Jacob didn't have the last laugh. Just before midnight, as they discussed shutting the haunted house down, they looked over, locked eyes, and gasped at someone — or was that something — that had just tumbled out onto the lawn. Neither could recall the costumed individual entering the haunted house. The cousins had only thought they knew fear before that horrifying moment. But they hadn't a clue what true fear was until they realized what the arcane figure was. The problem was not that they didn't recognize it. The problem was that the cousins knew all too well what it was. When they were children and stayed with their grandmother, they always had a reason to be on their best behavior. Now I'm not saying that they didn't have fun, but Sophie and Jacob never tested their limits. Grandmother was very old even when the children were small. Because of this, she never had enough energy to chase after them and try to discipline them. What she did have, however, was a clever idea. She had a porcelain doll that she had christened Edgar. While she loved Edgar, the children weren't so keen on him. Grandmother told the children that he was constantly watching their every move and was omnipresent. Typically the children weren't afraid of anything, but Edgar happened to be the exception. It wasn't that he was a porcelain doll or that the children were skittish. They had just always felt a certain unease around him. He was horrific due to his appearance. Edgar was an antique doll with tattered baby blue knickers and waistcoat. He stood three and a half feet tall and had the curliest brown synthetic hair. That wasn't what made him creepy. On his left cheek, he had a crack that ran all the way down his jaw line. His eyes were the worst though. They were powder blue and soulless. They appeared with great clarity and had a glassy look at the same time. His eyes were the epitome of evil. As Sophie and Jacob made the connection, they pondered anxiously how he got there and what their next step was. Jacob decided that they should somehow pick him up and dispose of him. He relayed his idea to Sophie and she agreed. She suggested they dig a hole and bury him in a box. She went into the house and emerged with an old box, a sheet, a flashlight, and a shovel. Jacob accepted the sheet and gained enough courage to advance towards Edgar. He moved slowly at first and then broke into a sprint and seized the doll in the sheet. They picked a good burial spot near the edge of the woods and set the doll on the ground. Sophie held the flashlight shining towards the ground and Jacob started digging with the large shovel. When the makeshift grave was complete, they placed the wrapped up doll in the box and set it into the grave. Before they filled it in with dirt, they gave it one last wistful glance. Suddenly, the box lid popped open and Edgar lie inside with devilish eyes wide open and an impish grin. Taken by surprise, the cousins were paralyzed with fear. Edgar sat up in his grave and smirked, "I'm going to tell on you".​